Sunday 2 July, 2023 (hopefully)
The Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta®
This coming Sunday, experience the awe-inspiring sight of colourful hot air balloons filling the skies of central London, as they take flight for the Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta®.
The regatta is the official ballooning event of The City of London and is an extension of the historic Lord Mayor’s Show.
This regatta combines tradition, fundraising, and breathtaking aerial displays, eagerly anticipated by balloon enthusiasts and spectators alike.
The Golden Age of Ballooning
This event is a proud legacy of hot air ballooning in London, finding its roots in the long-standing fascination with ballooning.
– The Montgolfier brothers – paper-manufacturers by trade – had made the first successful manned flight in Paris in 1783, following earlier animal experiments (infamously sending a cock, a duck and a sheep aloft). ‘Balloonmania’ had taken off.
Early Ballooning in London
– The first successful British balloon experiment was conducted in Cheapside, London, in 1783. The experiment was conducted by Italian entrepreneur Count Francesco Zambeaccari, who collaborated with an artificial silk flower maker to construct five small silk balloons. These silk-sewing skills were scaled up the following year, when a substantially larger “envelope” was exhibited in Bristol, for three days, to great public interest.
First Manned Balloon Flights
– James Tytler, the editor of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, was inspired by the Montgolfier brothers’ success and built his own hot air balloon in 1784. His flight over Edinburgh made him the first person to fly a hot air balloon in the UK.
– Soon after, Tytler was overshadowed by Vincenzo Lunardi—the self-styled “Daredevil Aeronaut”—who ignited public attention with the first flight over England. His 24-mile journey earned him fame and fortune.
He carried out five sensational flights in Scotland, creating a ballooning fad and inspiring ladies’ fashions in skirts and hats.
– John Jeffries and Jean-Pierre Blanchard then became the first aeronauts in history to fly across the English Channel. It was a rather desperate act, because both could not swim.
On 7th January 1785, Blanchard and Jeffries took-off from the area of Dover Castle (well were pushed from the cliffs, more likely) and headed toward France. After a flight lasting two hours and a half, the aviation pioneers successfully landed near Guînes in Pas-de-Calais region.
The first manned flight over the English Channel became a reality – 124 years before the first aeroplane managed to repeat it.
– Aeronaut Charles Green set a world distance record for manned flight in 1786 when the “Royal Vauxhall Balloon” flew 480 miles (772 km).
This giant balloon, 80-foot-tall and over 50-foot-wide (25mx15m), was constructed by Sopers of Spitalfields and employed over 2,000 yards of raw silk at a total cost of £2,100, well over £100,000 in today’s money.
The 21st Century
Hot air ballooning is still popular in London today, and there are a number of companies that offer balloon rides over the city. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in “special shape” balloons, which are custom-designed balloons that can take on a variety of shapes, such as animals, vehicles, cartoon characters etc.
2023: The Regatta Returns
After a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic and weather-related challenges in 2021 and 2022, the Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta® is set to make a grand comeback in 2023. The regatta promises to be bigger and better than ever, a vibrant display of colorful balloons against London’s iconic skyline.
– In 1992, Sir Brian Jenkins became the first Lord Mayor to fly across the City of London in a hot air balloon, igniting excitement and generating significant publicity and funds for the Lord Mayor’s Charity Appeal.
The concept of mass ascents over London’s skyline gained traction, leading to the establishment of the Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta® as a dedicated event.
– The Lord Mayor of the City of London, Alderman Nicholas Lyons, said:
“I am delighted that the Hot Air Balloon Regatta is back this year. The Lady Mayoress and I look forward to flying above London as part of this very special event. Raising funds and awareness for The Lord Mayor’s Appeal and its charity partners – The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, MQ Mental Health Research and National Numeracy – is important for the whole City of London. (…) In short, the Regatta – one of the most unique, fun and colourful events of any Mayoralty – is raising money to improve lives across the capital and beyond.”
Please click here for updates and informations on the The Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta® official website.
Helene
